Going Home

Chapter One

Kaida groaned as she walked out the front door of her pale yellow house. She didn't want to go to work, but if she were going to be able to go to college at the end of the year, she was going to need to save up money, and the only way to get money was through working. So it was off to work with her. She ignored the rusted bike that rested against the side of the house, knowing that walking would be faster than riding the old bike that hadn't been used in years. She passed by her mother's flower garden, and smiled as she knelt down to smell it, just like she did everyday. She reached down to pick one, only to pause as her fingers brushed against the stem. She stood up, walked back to the front door, and poked her head inside.

"Hey, Mom?" she yelled into the house. "Can I pick one of your flowers to put in my hair?"

"No", came the familiar reply. "If you want to put flowers in your hair, you'll have to get those flower clips."

Kaida sighed, and closed the door. She glanced sadly at the pristine flower bed, but continued on, her long blonde hair flowing freely in the wind. She could smell the faint smells of chocolate chip cookies as coming from down the street once she passed the old red van that sat in the driveway. She smiled widely, and skipped down the street to the vibrant red house on the corner, and hopped up onto the porch. She knocked on the front door, and a few moments later, a white haired lady opened the door. Kaida smiled at the familiar wrinkled face.

"Mrs. Ainsley!" Kaida exclaimed. "You look as beautiful as ever!"

The old lady chuckled, and moved to let Kaida come in, but the younger woman shook her head. "Sorry, Mrs. Ainsley. I can't come in today. I need to get to work. I just figured I'd come say hello before heading off."

The curly haired woman nodded once, and shifted so the warm air wouldn't mix with the colder air inside. "I'm glad you came to say hi, Kaida. Not many people do nowadays."

Kaida frowned. "That's too bad. You're one of my favorite people to talk to!"

Mrs. Ainsley smiled. "I'm glad you think so, Kaida. Unfortunately, this old woman is slowly dying, and no one wants to be near a old dying woman."

Kaida shook her head. "That's a stupid notion. That's the time of everyone's life that people need to visit the most. I think it would be horrible to be lonely when you know you're dying."

Mrs. Ainsley smiled. "I'm glad you think so, Kaida. Now, I do believe you had somewhere to be."

Kaida's face-palmed as she groaned. "Shoot. I gotta run, Mrs. Ainsley, or else I'm going to be late for work. I'll come visit you as soon as I'm off, I promise!"

With that, the young girl turned and bolted off the porch, and hurried into town, towards the bookstore she loved to go as a kid, and now worked at. It was quaint little store, with few customers. While the pay wasn't the greatest, due to there being few customers, Kaida loved working there. Even if it wouldn't get her through college, she knew that she would have regretted not working there. She got to meet all kinds of people at the bookstore, and she wouldn't want it any other way.

~ ~ ~

Kaida sighed, checking the time once more to see if she'd be able to leave the bookstore yet. She grumbled to herself as Kaida realized she still had about five minutes left. Hearing a little bell ring by the door, she noticed a customer had come in.

'Finally!' Kaida thought. 'A customer! I thought that working in a bookstore would be interesting, but no one ever comes here anymore...'

She watched the customer stroll through the aisles, looking at different books. As he looked, Kaida studied him discreetly, not wanting to freak him out. He had black hair, and was surprisingly short. Possibly shorter than Kaida. His clothes were clean, and very tidy. Finally, he came over to the counter with a book titled Bluestar's Prophecy by Erin Hunter. Kaida straightened her brown shirt as she smiled at the man.